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PEARL JAM Seattle rock band Pearl Jam, crossed the Atlantic this summer for a few select performances ranging from headline arena and stadium slots, to sought-after festival stages. TPi’s Stew Hume spoke to long-time LD, Kille Knobel, about the band’s distinct and scalable look for their 2018 campaign...
Last year was a landmark period for Pearl Jam; after nearly 3 decades of touring behind them, the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Far from taking their foot off the pedal, it seems this new status has ignited a fire and presented new goals. Not only did 2018 see the band drop a new single from their forthcoming album, but they also announced their longest European tour in recent history. The tour, saw a varied schedule and the band played several 360° arena shows along with their festival appearances. Despite moving through a variety of performance spaces, each show had a distinct feel and style that was unmistakably Pearl Jam. Design-duo Kille Knobel and Spike Brandt have overseen Pearl Jam’s visuals since the turn of the millennium. Speaking prior to their final night at London’s 02 Arena, Knobel spoke of her time with the band so far, and the vision for the tour.
With Pearl Jam’s visual show becoming more ambitious over the years, the LD asserts that she still remembers that the focus still has to remain on the band. She recalled how, last tour, frontman Eddie Vedder encapsulated the vision he had for the band’s live show in a single metaphor. “He said to me, ‘Think of the band like the main meal and the lighting as the seasoning… too much and you can no longer taste the meal!’ It’s all about the balance, in essence.” This meant Knobel sometimes had to pull on the reins of the lighting rig to ensure the band and music remain at the forefront. Just as they have for previous tours, the 2018 run saw Brandt and Knobel split design responsibilities down the middle. “Simply put, I deal with lights while Spike handles the scenic elements,” stated Knobel. She explained that neither department takes priority, working harmoniously to create a cohesivelooking live show. Helping create the Knobel-Brandt vision were suppliers 08
